02/09/2025
๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ง ๐ฉ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฅ๐๐๐
Two groundbreaking innovations in poultry and farming from the Technological University of the Philippines Visayas (TUPV) stood out winning top awards at the Department of Science and Technology - Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI) Visayas Cluster Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits (ClusteRICE) in Palo, Leyte, Aug. 27-28.
The six-student Mechatronics Engineering Technology (MXT) team of TUPV bagged the Sibol Award for Outstanding Student Creative Research for College with their study titled โI-Count: Artificial Intelligence Optical Chick Counting Device for Unloading Operation.โ
Designed by Bennet Jillian Fabrigas, Allen Joy Parreรฑo, Mikkaella Nadales, John Oscar Sta. Ana, John Keci Rebadomia, and Paul Richard Villason, the artificial intelligence-driven livestock monitoring system provided a portable solution using cameras and thermal imaging to count chicks and detect mortality, disease, and stress levels with 98 percent accuracy and equipped with multilingual support and adaptability across different livestock types.
โFarmers usually rely on manual counting, which is prone to mistakes. Seeing how much time, labor, and money are wasted in this process inspired us to create a device that counts faster, more accurately, and also promotes animal welfare,โ said Fabrigas, who presented the pitch.
Showcased in fairs outside the province and the region, the I-Count team admitted that they were opening opportunities to expand I-Count beyond chicken-focused poultry to ducks, quails, and even fisheries.
Fabrigas credited their adviser, Mark Winston Gabutero, for guiding the team technically and mentally adding that โhe always reminded us to focus on solving the farmersโ problems, not just impressing the judges. His mentorship grounded our innovation to reality.โ
Meanwhile, clinching the Unlad Award for Outstanding Utility Model, from the faculty and alumni, Electrical Engineer Joseph Golingay, with nearly 30 years of industry experience, together with his son, a 2024 Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering (BSECE) graduate at TUPV, developed an innovative cane-like seed planting tool allowing farmers to insert pellet-type seeds into the soil with uniform depth and minimal effort.
โSimilar to a cane, the tool allows farmers to poke it into the soil, automatically planting the seed when lifted. It not only improves farming efficiency but also addresses physical strain, contributing to poverty alleviation and better farmer health,โ Golingay explained.
For Golingay, the journey was also about persistence in solving technical challenges such as controlling the number of seeds dropped and preventing them from splitting open.
โDo not stop innovating,โ he encouraged, โWhat youโre working on now may seem simple, but what impact does it really have? Donโt ever think that you are limited to just one field. Start and never stop.โ
Bannering as two of five Visayas-represent innovations, both studies will advance to the National Invention Contest and Exhibits (NICE) 2026 at the Malacaรฑang Palace.
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Via | Luel Andrei Berden
The Philippine Artisan Visayas
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Photo | Bennet Fabrigas
